What is XSpasm about ?

XSpasm focuses on the application of technology in dance teaching,
learning, choreography, performance and viewing. Whether it is about Kathakali Salsa, Waltz or HipHop. Whether it is about shoes, lights, video, internet or mocap. XSpasm wants to bring together those developing the technology and those who could make good use of it. Whether you are in Brazil, Canada or Thailand.

XSpasm relies on a community of dancers needing adequate gear to perform, of choreographers curious about ways to enrich their shows, of teachers looking for means to improve their classes, of spectators wanting to see it all from a different perspective and of developers devoted to bringing out the best in the art of dance.

Dance, Tech, Culture !

The Dance section focuses on the discussion, development and learning of existing danceforms such as latin dance, swing, ballroom, indian dance, etc. The aim is to facilitate the discussion, development and learning with tools such as videos, 3D animations, body motion sensors, etc. Post your latest move here for the record or browse moves to incorporate in your latest choreography or just because you need some inspiration. Use XSpasm to enable your students to look up what you taught them in their last class !

The Tech section focuses on technologies that enable exploration of new ways to teach, learn, choreograph, perform and view dance. Discover movement as a form of expression through the use of multimedia feedback controlled by movement sensors. Examples are cameras that feedback one's own movements as graphic animations, software to choreograph shows, foot pressure mats to guide your steps and muscle tension sensors that are translated into sounds. Look for that magic trick to wow your audience, find a way to teach rhythm or advertise your dance gizmo here.

The Culture section lists news about XSpasm and provides a discussion forum. In this section all kinds of links are made to newsgroups, to events involving dance and technology, and to broadcasts of events through the internet or otherwise. Post your news or questions here and share your views on subjects such as dance gear, multimedia dance shows and dance teaching technologies.

Moving around XSpasm

Access the various sections of XSpasm through the navigation bar (contains the text 'dance tech culture'). There is a sitewide search function, but if you'd like to find a specific dance figure you might want to use the 'find' button in the Dance section. This will give you a variety of methods to find the dance figures you are looking for. In both the Tech and Dance sections click on any of the thumbnails of videos to view the material of your choice. To enlarge the video display, point at the video window with your mouse, click the right button and select 'zoom-in'. If a video image appears delayed wrt. its sound, try using a faster computer and/or graphics card.